Storms in W.Pa. leave thousands without power

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh and its southern suburbs cleaned up from flash flooding caused by heavy morning rains Wednesday, but a new round of late afternoon and evening storms left tens of thousands without power and reports of a tornado briefly appearing north of the city.

Duquesne Light reported about 30,500 customers without power as of 10 p.m. Wednesday and said damage due to numerous downed trees was hampering repairs. FirstEnergy's West Penn Power reported a total of 21,335 customers without power at around 2 a.m. Thursday.

The tornado touched down south of New Castle at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday as a new line of heavy storms moved through the region. The National Weather Service said barns were damaged, but there were no immediate reports of injuries. The area is about 50 miles north of Pittsburgh.

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Despite widespread Wednesday morning flash flooding that damaged homes and businesses and stranded some motorists following heavy rain in Pittsburgh and its suburbs, city and Allegheny County officials reported no fatalities or serious injuries.

The hardest-hit areas appeared to be the Route 51 corridor through the south part of the city and into the suburbs. Nearby areas, including Castle Shannon, Baldwin and Bridgeville, had some roads washed out and, as creeks overflowed onto low-lying areas, others were left caked in mud or littered with the occasional dead fish.

Three inches of rain or more fell in some areas Wednesday morning at the rate of 1-2 inches per hour. The saturated ground prompted emergency officials to warn drivers to avoid roads that flooded in the morning and to abide by barricades later in the day with more storms forecast.

Besides roads being closed as a precaution, others were impassable due to damage or debris, including a long stretch of Route 51 and Banksville Road, another key artery into the city's southern suburbs.

"Even if the water recedes, the roadways are gone," Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Michael Huss said, noting that some portions of both roads washed away.

During the worst of the morning flooding, Huss said the city's swift-water rescue teams were responding to "several emergency and life-threatening situations." Once the rains ended by late morning, Allegheny County spokeswoman Amie Downs confirmed there were no deaths or serious injuries.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl urged businesses to let employees leave early to thin out the evening traffic and to give them extra time to avoid damaged or barricaded roads.

Elizabeth Borough, a few miles farther south of the city, was one of several communities to declare an emergency due to the morning flooding. At least two residential streets there were washed away, a shelter was opened for stranded residents and the American Red Cross and Salvation Army helped those whose homes were damaged or couldn't be reached due to road issues.

Borough secretary Elizabeth Sharp said she arrived to work during the heaviest rains, about 8 a.m.

"It was like somebody was throwing buckets of water on my car," Sharp said.

Caption 1:

Crews work to remove mud from a closed section of Route 51, where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 2:

Crews work to remove mud from a closed section of Route 51, where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 3:

A woman pushes a baby stroller down the closed Route 51, where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 4:

A worker stands in the mud on the median strip in the center of closed Route 51, where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 5:

A man shovels mud and water from a parking lot for a business along the closed section of Route 51 where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains in Pittsburgh's southern suburbs on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 6:

Pittsburgh police direct traffic away from mud covered and flooded out roads in Pittsburgh's southern suburbs after heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. Some key arteries into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 7:

Saw Mill Run a stream that runs beside Route 51, is shown after food waters receded from the street during heavy morning rains Closing the highway on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 8:

A dead fish is seen in the mud on the median strip in the center of closed Route 51, where Saw Mill Run flooded the street from heavy morning rains on Wednesday, July 10, 2013, in Pittsburgh. This corridor and Banksville Road, another key artery into and out of the city's southern suburbs, were to remain closed into the evening. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Caption 9:

Randy Wolfe of Imperial walks through the flooded streets in Oakdale on Wednesday afternoon, July 10, 2013 after helping a friend evacuate in Pittsburgh, Pa. The city and its southern suburbs were cleaning up from flash flooding caused by heavy morning rains and bracing for more of the same with additional storms forecast for the region later Wednesday. (AP Photo/Tribune Review, Justin Merriman) PITTSBURGH OUT

Caption 10:

Baldwin Road in Hays, Pa.,m is covered with water after the Streets Run creek flooded following morning rain and thunder storms, Wednesday, July 10, 2013. (AP Photo/Tribune Review, Jasmine Goldband) PITTSBURGH OUT